Shute

There are eight steps you need to follow when making your own wine. This article provides a brief overview of each of these steps to help get you acquainted to what it takes to create your personal vintage. Enjoy!

1. Harvesting obviously, the first step to any wine is grapes. Therefore, the first thing that must occur is the harvesting of grapes. There are two methods of harvesting:
   • Machine. Machines use plastic or rubber rods to beat the grapes from the vine. However, this is not desirable if you are creating a high end wine due to leaves and undesirable grapes that can also be collected.

   • Hand. This is the preferred method for harvesting grapes. Experienced harvesters use their skills to collect the most desirable grapes.

2. Destemming. In this step, the stems are removed from the grapes. Stems carry harsh tannins so this is usually done before the grapes are crushed so as not to influence the wine.

3. Crushing. Here the skins of the grapes are broken to release the fruit. Each winemaker will have their own preferences concerning the amount of crushing that should occur. For example, if he or she is trying to create a fruity aroma they might decide to leave the berries nearly intact.

4. Primary Fermentation. In this step, yeast cells in the wine feed on sugars and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. Winemakers will often add extra yeast to insure a stable conversion instead of simply relying on the yeast found on the grapes.

5. Pressing. Here more juice is extracted when the grapes are pressed even further. This juice is usually not as high quality as that from the crushing stage because the free run juice has less contact with the skins and stems that have more tannins. Nonetheless, winemakers will use pressing to increase their grape yield. Usually, this pressed juice gets used in lower end wines.

6. Secondary Fermentation. Aging and secondary fermentation happen at the same time. The yeast continues to ferment slowly. The goals of the winemaker will determine the length of time this fermentation will be allowed to continue. A fine wine might stay in oak barrels for quite some time while a cheaper variety could spend only a few months in stainless steel drums.

7. Blending. In this step, winemakers might blend different batches of wine together in order to create a desired product. For example, if they feel that there is a deficiency in a particular vintage they might blend another wine with it to improve the batch. This might happen also if a winemaker is trying to change the tannin levels.

8. Bottling. This is the final step. Here the wine is put into bottles. Sulfites are sometimes added to help end the fermentation process and preserve the wine. The bottle is then sealed with a cork.

While the process seems complicated, it makes logical sense. If you are sincere about creating a home vintage, then you might want to consider buying a wine making kit that can help simplify the process. Making wine at home can also help enhance your everyday wine drinking experience as you gain a more thorough knowledge of how it is created.

Cheers!

Melissa Kelly began her love of wine by drinking at the side of her brother whose extremely good taste in wine soon meant that she had to spend way more than she meant to for a bottle. Check out her website at http://www.wineinnapa.com. You will be able to find more about how to make wine information along with other wine related pages there.